Are you a Clinical Librarian, Informationist, Embedded Librarian, or Outreach Librarian? Or, are you a healthcare librarian interested in one or more of the following areas?

literature searching

working closely with clinicians/healthcare managers to provide the latest evidence

providing current awareness services to healthcare staff

supporting systematic reviews and writing for publication?

If so, attendance at ICLC will be of use to you. We are now pleased to announce details of our program, which you can view here. Register for the conference here. We are planning a stimulating conference, where colleagues can share new initiatives and existing good practice, with presentations, workshops and posters, plus indispensable networking experiences including pre conference meet ups and an optional dinner on day one.

The conference will be held at Leicester Racecourse, in the vibrant multicultural city of Leicester. Leicester is only 66 minutes away from London via train, and Stratford Upon Avon is only an hour away by car. Leicester is also the home of world famous sports teams, so you could stay on after the conference for some exciting sports viewing.

The International Clinical Librarian Conference is organized by the Clinical Librarian team at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) in the United Kingdom. To find out more information on the UHL team and what they do, please visit their website at www.uhl-library.nhs.uk/cl. The International Clinical Librarian Conference (ICLC) runs conferences, targeted at Clinical Librarians and any other health librarian who finds the topics covered of interest.

ALA Connect http://connect.ala.org/, the online space where ALA groups collaborate, is being upgraded to a new and more flexible system that will be powered by Higher Logic. The launch is scheduled for Aug. 31.

ALA Connect gives communities of interest within the library profession the opportunity to connect, learn, express and engage on a variety of topics.

With the upgrade, ALA Connect will enhance the user experience with such features as a branded space where Divisions and Round Tables can communicate, search and collaborate.

Other new features will include a more stable platform, a more uniform system that will be easier to maintain and the ability to add features in the future such as badging and ribbons.

As part of the upgrade, to maintain the integrity of the information within our current system and transfer it to the new system, a “Gray-Out” period will occur, beginning Aug. 10 and ending on Aug. 31. During this time, users will not be able to make any edits or new posts to the system, although they will be able to view public content.

Beginning next week, ITTS will be providing information and updates on the upgrade. Materials will include weekly updates and reminders, links to short videos showcasing the new features and emails with tips and links to instructional videos.

If you have any questions, please feel free to view our videos or contact Pam Akins at pakins@ala.org.

Registration is open for the 2017 Digital Directions Conference. The meeting will take place from Monday, August 21, to Wednesday, August 23. The theme of this year’s event, “Fundamentals of Creating and Managing Digital Collections”, will cover everything from digital project planning, rights and responsibilities, and digitizing A-V materials, to metadata basics and digital-storage considerations. The agenda is available here.

The Digital Directions Conference is geared toward professionals at archives, libraries, museums, historical organizations, town and city clerks and other government agencies, tribal entities, corporate archives, and other organizations that steward digital collections. Students and independent professionals welcome! Whether you are just getting started on a digitization project or need a refresher on best practices, this two and a half day program will give you the big picture.

The deadline to register is Thursday, August 10. Go here to reserve your seat.

Register now for the upcoming NISO Virtual Conference. The event, themed “Research Information Networks: The Connections Enabling Collaboration”, will take place on Wednesday, August 16, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PMCST. The Conference sessions and speakers are below.

“Making Sense of the Confusing World of Research Information Management”–Rebecca Bryant, Senior Program Officer, OCLC Research, OCLC

Research Information Management (RIM) is the aggregation, curation, and utilization of metadata about institutional research activities, and represents growing resource allocation by research institutions worldwide. As institutions, consortia, and nations attempt to solve different problems, their systems, workflows, infrastructure, and nomenclature are developing in different ways. In this presentation, Dr. Bryant will provide an introduction to the RIM landscape and offer a model for understanding RIM activities, developed in collaboration with OCLC Research Library Partnership member institutions from three continents. She will talk about the key drivers for RIM adoption, and how these have influenced RIM adoption and scaling in EMEA, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region.

“Creating a Culture of Research Reputation through Research Information Management Systems”–Scott Warren, Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship, Syracuse University Libraries, and Anne Rauh, Collection Development and Analysis Librarian, Syracuse University Libraries, Syracuse University

Research institutions have increasingly strong needs to manage the reputations of their research portfolios. From primary investigator activities to awarded grants, scholarly output, and related media mentions, universities need to be able to retrieve and integrate information about their research endeavors in order to successfully showcase impact at an institutional level. However, all too often this information is siloed and not easily discoverable, retrievable, or reusable. Syracuse University Libraries traditionally provide research reputation services to individual researchers, but recently collaborated with the Office of Research to expand this work in a systematic, scalable manner throughout the university via a pilot implementation of a Research Information Management System (RIMS). This partnership helped the Libraries demonstrate value in a new way to different stakeholders as an important member of the university research enterprise. The presenters will give an overview of RIMS, discuss the implementation of such a system at Syracuse University, outline challenges to implementing such systems, and articulate why libraries should be involved in their operation. The speakers will also address impacts of the use of these systems, and their complex data needs, on the broader information community.

“Case Study: From Researcher Profiling to System of Record”–Jan Fransen, Service Lead for Researcher and Discovery Systems, University of Minnesota – Twin Cities

One look at the home screen of the University of Minnesota’s Experts@Minnesota shows that this is a sprawling institution: Experts@Minnesota includes public profiles for 6,400 faculty and staff organized into almost 300 research units. At last count, it held almost 230,000 research outputs. Such a near-comprehensive data set brings
benefits as well as challenges. Ms. Fransen will review those challenges, both initial and ongoing, and discuss the rationale for the 2012-15 pilot project as well as the current (often unexpected) benefits of the service. She will also discuss key partnerships and review the Experts@Minnesota roadmap.

For details on registration costs and additional information provided by speakers, please see the NISO event page.

The ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR) is pleased to announce the publication of its comprehensive Career Development Resource Guide. It is intended to assist library staff at all levels –new graduates, mid- or senior-level career– in their job search and career journeys.

The Guide has a wealth of information. It includes sections on job search strategies, self-marketing (looking at your social media identity), correspondence such as resumes, CVs, and cover letters, as well as interviewing strategies, and tips on negotiating and accepting job offers. The Guide provides a list of questions employers typically ask along with questions you can ask employers during an interview. In addition, the Guide has information on networking and tapping the hidden job market along with instructions for presenting yourself as a professional with business etiquette. To assist the whole person, the Guide also provides resources to help individuals manage stress during a job search.

For additional resources provided by the ALA Office for Human Resource Development and Recruitment (HRDR), visit our webpage.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) is pleased to announce the 2017-2018 year of the leadership program jointly sponsored with the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL). The NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program is focused on preparing emerging leaders for the position of library director in academic health sciences libraries. The application deadline is Friday, July 28.

The Leadership Fellows Program has been remarkably successful in helping to move well prepared leaders into AAHSL directors’ positions. Seventy-nine fellows and 65 different mentors have participated in the program from 2002-2017. To date, 39 fellows have received director appointments and over 58 percent have been promoted to director or other positions of higher responsibility.

Fellows will have the opportunity to develop their knowledge and skills in a variety of learning settings, including exposure to leadership in another environment. They will be paired with mentors who are academic health sciences library directors. In addition to the individual relationship with their mentors, fellows benefit from working collaboratively with other fellows and mentors. Experienced program faculty and mentors will provide content and facilitation for the cohort. The program takes advantage of flexible scheduling and an online learning community to minimize disruption to professional and personal schedules. The sponsors will provide financial support for a small cohort of fellows and will underwrite travel and meeting expenses.

Program Overview

The one-year program design is multi-faceted: three in-person leadership institutes; attendance at an Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) annual meeting; a year-long fellow/mentor relationship; webinars and discussions on issues related to library leadership; and two weeks of site visit to the mentor’s home library.

The program is designed to benefit participants in the following ways.

introduce fellows to leadership theory and practical tools for implementing change at organizational and professional levels

develop meaningful professional relationships between fellows and mentors that give fellows access to career guidance and support

expose fellows to another academic health sciences library and its institutional leadership under the guidance of their mentors

examine career development and provide models of directors to fellows

create a cohort of leaders who will draw upon each other for support throughout their careers

promote diversity in the leadership of the profession

offer recognition to emerging leaders and enhance the competitive standing of fellows as they pursue director positions

Application Process

The NLM/AAHSL Leadership Fellows Program is currently accepting applications and nominations for the July 28, 2017 deadline for potential fellows for the 2017-2018 experience. Candidates for fellow should have a strong interest in pursuing a directorship in academic health sciences libraries, as well as prior management experience. Applications are welcomed from professionals working in academic health sciences libraries, hospital libraries, or other library-related settings. Applications from qualified minority candidates are encouraged.

Directors with at least five years’ experience as director of an academic health sciences library should indicate preliminary interest in being matched as a mentor by contacting the Leadership Fellows Program Director at the address below by Friday, July 28. The program brochure, which includes information on program design, schedule, and application process, is available on the AAHSL website. For more information about the program, please contact Carol Jenkins, Program Director, AAHSL Future Leadership Committee, at carol_jenkins@unc.edu.

The latest webinar in the Georgia Library Association’s Carterette Series, “Effective and Valuable Outreach: Aligning Activities to Goal-Driven Assessment”, will take place on Wednesday, July 19, at 1:00 PM CST. To register, click here. Can’t make it to the live show? The session will be recorded and made available on the Carterette Series Webinar website for later viewing. More information about the webinar is below.

Outreach is a facet of many of our jobs. Over time, library job descriptions have been adjusted to include outreach, whether this includes targeting departments, student populations, or the surrounding community. Libraries have attempted to connect with their users through a variety of activities and strategies. However, how do we ensure our outreach activities are impactful? Assessment has also become more important over time, since many library budgets have shrunk and we are often asked to do more with less. It is imperative that we can justify the amount of time, energy, and money required for outreach activities. Determining in advance what impact we want to make dictates what types of events we hold. Further, better assessment leads to a better understanding of the impact of our activities. Much of the library literature shares strategies for reaching out to campus communities; however, there is a lack of discussion around goal-oriented activities and if these activities reached their goals through assessment.

In this session, learn how to write SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-Bound) outreach goals that are tied to your institutional mission and how to apply various assessment techniques that will evaluate if your goals are being met. Assessment techniques will address various factors, including amount of time and/or funding required, amount of staffing involved, and type of data produced (qualitative or quantitative). Attendees will also learn about the limitations of each assessment method. Participants will be asked to share their previous experience with goal-writing and assessment of outreach and will work through case studies that illustrate a particular scenario with concrete goals and ways to accurately assess the identified outreach activity. Attendees will be provided materials to bring back to their institution to apply what they learned using a previous or upcoming local outreach event.

About the Presenters

Kristen Mastel is an outreach and instruction librarian at the University of Minnesota. She received her Masters of Library Science from Indiana University, and her undergraduate Bachelor of Arts from the University of Minnesota- Morris. Her research areas of interest include instruction, information literacy, outreach and instructional design. Kristen is a Past President of the Minnesota Library Association. She also is President-Elect of the United States Agricultural Information Network.

Shannon Farrell is the Natural Resources Librarian at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. She holds an MS in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MS in Environmental Studies from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland. She previously worked at Colorado State University as the Agricultural and Biological Sciences Librarian. Prior to earning her MLIS, she spent over ten years working on scientific research projects related to sustainable agriculture, genetically modified organisms, animal behavior, wildlife conservation, and invasive species. Her research interests span numerous areas, including outreach assessment, video games and gaming technology, and salaries and status of library workers.

The online program “How Libraries Can Help Students from Disadvantaged Socio-economic Backgrounds” will be offered on Tuesday, August 1, at 11:00 AM CST. To register for the program, follow this link and click on “Register”. The program will be recorded for later viewing if you are unable to attend the live session. This program is brought to you by the ULS Professional Development Committee. Please send questions to Jason Martin (Jason.martin@mtsu.edu). A description of the event and information about the presenters are below.

Students from many and varied backgrounds are currently pursuing higher education, including students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Students from a disadvantaged socio-economic background face many challenges in completing their degree, including paying for tuition, books, housing, and food. Further, students from lower socio-economic backgrounds often feel like outsiders on campus–regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation–and issues of class, often unacknowledged and unexplored, produce rifts in the campus culture that can lead to serious confrontation. How can academic libraries work with students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds? What kinds of services can libraries provide for low income students that help them thrive on campus?

This online program will explore various services, programs, and practices academic libraries can offer to students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds-including real-life examples-that help their academic success.

Cristina Favretto (Program Moderator) is the Head of Special Collections at the University of Miami. She is a nationally recognized speaker on collecting women’s history materials and preserving local heritage collections. She is a champion for diversity and inclusion in librarianship, especially as it relates to socio-economic background.

Annie Downey is Associate College Librarian at Reed College. She has worked with Upward Bound, Summer Bridge, Winter Bridge, McNair Scholars, and veteran students. As a librarian from a low income background, she believes the most important work with economically disadvantaged students happens in the classroom and at the reference desk.

Ray Pun is the First Year Student Success Librarians at Fresno State, California State University. Ray works closely with SupportNet, At-Risk student programs, Summer Bridge and Upward Bound programs and also partners with Student Affairs and the Career Development Center (including Food Security project) to foster new opportunities for students through the library.

Bob Schroeder is the Education Liaison librarian at Portland State University, an urban access university. Bob works with McNair Scholars and the Summer Bridge students, both of which focus on underrepresented groups in academe.

Registration is now open for the 2017 LITA Forum. This year’s event will take place from Thursday, November 9, to Sunday, November 12. Join us in Denver, Colorado, at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Denver Downtown Convention Center, for a three-day educational and networking event featuring two preconferences, a pair of keynote sessions, more than 50 concurrent sessions, and 20 poster presentations. It’s the twentieth annual gathering of the highly-regarded LITA Forum for technology-minded information professionals. Meet with your colleagues involved in new and leading edge technologies in the library and information technology field. Registration is limited in order to preserve the important networking advantages of a smaller conference. Attendees take advantage of the informal Friday evening reception, networking dinners and other social opportunities to get to know colleagues and speakers.

The keynote speakers will be Casey Fiesler, University of Colorado Boulder, and Vivienne Ming, scientist and entrepreneur. The preconference workshops are “IT Security and Privacy in Libraries: Stay Safe From Ransomware, Hackers & Snoops”, presented by Blake Carver of Lyrasis, and “Improving Technology Services with Design Thinking: A Workshop”, given by Michelle Frisque of the Chicago Public Library.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact LITA, at (312) 280-4268, or e-mail Mark Beatty, at mbeatty@ala.org.

The OCLC Americas Regional Council (ARC) is holding its inaugural Conference this October, in what we hope will be the first of many opportunities to take a regional (and global) perspective on challenges and opportunities in OCLC member libraries and allied institutions. Information on the Conference is available here.

The inaugural Conference (which will take place in Baltimore, MD, on October 30 and 31) will provide a unique opportunity not only to pursue the Conference theme of how the “smarter library” employs data to make user experiences “more customized, effective and intuitive”, but also to help your regional council delegates to imagine new ways in which we can leverage the unique power of the OCLC global cooperative to bring together library leaders and practitioners in support of innovative practice. Of all the associations, consortia, and cooperative efforts of which DePaul University is a member, OCLC is unique in its scope, breadth, and engagement across the libraries, archives, and museums community. This conference is the first step in thinking about how we can make the most of OCLC’s unique composition and mission, and take a broad view of opportunities, innovation, and change in an increasingly global information community.

The Call for Papers for the inaugural ARC meeting is available here, and it identifies program themes and idea starters. The deadline for submission is Friday, July 14, and the program is inclusive of libraries in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. I hope you’ll consider making a proposal and joining us in Baltimore this Fall.

The Americas Regional Council (ARC) is one of 3 regional councils that make up OCLC’s Global Council, its primary mechanism for member governance of the cooperative. You can learn more about ARC, and meet your ARC delegates, here. (Please note that Christopher Cronin, Director of Technical Services at The University of Chicago Library, is on the ARC Program Committee.)